U.S. Abandons Turkey Arms Route Plan

Dozens of U.S. ships carrying weaponry for the Army's 4th Infantry Division have been redirected to the Persian Gulf, two U.S. defense officials said Saturday.

The decision ends U.S. hopes of using Turkish bases to move heavy armored forces into northern Iraq.

About 40 ships carrying the division's weaponry and equipment were to begin moving through the Suez Canal on Sunday, one of the officials said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity.

The 4th Infantry's soldiers, who remained at Fort Hood, Texas, after their weaponry and equipment went to the Mediterranean last month, are likely to go to Kuwait, the officials said.

The original plan had the entire division of about 17,500 soldiers heading to Turkey, along with some Army troops based in Germany. It was not immediately clear if the full division would go to Kuwait.

Meanwhile, the Turkish military said Saturday it had completed preparations for moving into northern Iraq, but denied reports that it has already sent a new commando unit into the area.

The military statement comes amid growing pressure on Turkey to keep its forces out of the volatile region. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has repeatedly urged Turkey to avoid any unilateral move into the area. Germany said Saturday it would pull its crews from radar aircraft in Turkey if Turkish troops move into northern Iraq.

The tensions reflect the difficulties that the United States is likely to face if U.S. forces enter the autonomous Kurdish areas of northern Iraq.

Turkey has said that its forces would enter the area to prevent any massive flow of refugees or to stop the creation of a Kurdish state. Turkey fears that a Kurdish state could inspire Kurdish rebels who battled the Turkish government for 15 years, leaving 37,000 dead.

Turkey's parliament on Thursday authorized Turkish troops to enter Iraq.

The "Turkish armed forces has completed all its planning and is ready to implement these plans if the situation and conditions require," a statement from the military said.

The statement also denied reports that some 1,000 Turkish commandos had already crossed into northern Iraq.

The redirected cargo ships are to begin arriving off the coast of Kuwait about March 30, one official said. All the ships would arrive by about April 10.

From Kuwait they could move into Iraq to serve as reinforcements if the ground war lasts more than several weeks, or as occupation forces after the Iraqi government's collapse.

The Army already had hundreds of troops into southern Turkey to facilitate the possible use of bases there as a staging area for the 4th Infantry, but Turkey's parliament refused to grant access.

Turkey also has been off-limits so far for U.S. aircraft flying missions into Iraq from aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean, officials said Saturday.

As an alternative for securing northern Iraq with the tanks and other heavy armor of the 4th Infantry, U.S. special operations forces are now in the area and other conventional forces may join them, officials have said.

Northern Iraq is a particularly sensitive area because of the autonomous Kurdish region and the potential for Kurdish conflict with Turkish forces.

There were reports Friday that Turkish soldiers in armored personnel carriers had rolled into northern Iraq near where the borders of Turkey, Iraq and Iran converge. But the Turkish military on Saturday denied it. The reports had said 1,000 Turkish commandos had crossed the border.